Today, a coworker gave me Competitor magazine, a publication geared towards long-distance runners like myself who find pleasure in punishing themselves by clocking hundreds of miles for no apparent reason besides that runner’s high. I find athletic magazines a gold mine for advertising ideas because they all speak to the inner spirit of the athlete: their goals, their commitment, their determination, and above all, their competitive personalities. This demographic is very similar to my demographic: people who want to better themselves through education, rather than sport.
I think runners have a strange, compelling, intricate psychology. We like to be alone when we work out and running is a meditative state that calms and centers us.
Here are some cool ads from the magazine I liked:
Brooks does a great job at jumping on the barefoot running bandwagon with this ad “Feel More with Less.”
I like how this ad taps into what I was talking about above, our sheer joy for running:
Chocolate Milk after a workout? This ad appeals to our sense of accomplishment after a long run. Why not treat ourselves to a little bit of heavenly sweetness?
And Finally, here is my ad. Nike Frees are not typically thought of as trail or mud running shoes. I also like showing a shoe that is not in perfect condition. The reality is that runners ruin their shoes!
My headline would read: “A little bit of mud never hurt anyone”
